Janay Newman is our Spring 2018 Optimist Club Intern! She is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a senior with a Public Relations major, and Marketing minor. Janay indicates that she is an optimist–“My reason is in the name: ‘Optimist’ Club. I am so happy that I have been given the opportunity to help others in the Whitewater community and to simply do good for those around me.” She says “One thing that I love about Whitewater is that everyone seems to be associated through at least one mutual connection, leading to a high sense of community. Being from a larger town, I think that I really missed out on that feeling while growing up, but being in Whitewater gives me a chance to catch up.” Janay’s goals for the year are to “utilize my skills learned from classes and other job opportunities, and channel them into my position with the Optimist Club to do my personal best.”

To give so much time to improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others is the statement from the Optimist Creed that best describes her. Janay says, “I find that many people spend a lot of their days comparing or competing, while they forget to simply be their best selves, including myself. I think that this statement is a great reminder to be kind to others, while always working on self-improvement.” Welcome Janay!

Katie Gaulrapp is one of our other Fall 2017 Optimist Club interns! She is from Monroe, Wisconsin, and is a Corporate and Health Communications major, with a Family, Health, and Disabilities Studies minor. Katie is optimistic because “My health has challenged me in every aspect of my life; when it kicks me to the ground, I pick myself up and work harder.” Katie said she “loves Whitewater because of its strong community.” Katie’s goals for the year are to “serve others and familiarize myself with the other Optimist Club members.”

The Optimist Creed quote to Promise yourself to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true epitomizes Katie’s outlook. Katie said, “I find that this statement explains my attitude towards life, and I encourage others to see it this way as well.” Welcome Katie!

Olivia Woyak is the other Fall 2017 Optimist Club interns! She is from Onalaska, Wisconsin, and is a senior, with a Journalism-Advertising major, and Marketing minor. Olivia says she is optimistic because “I like to find the good in anything. I’m a pretty positive person and I like making others happy.” Olivia loves the city of Whitewater. “When touring Whitewater my senior year of high school, I really fell in love with the community and how cute the town is, that I automatically saw myself living in Whitewater.” Olivia’s goals for the upcoming year are to “start looking for jobs outside of college, and consider graduate schools.” To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind is the statement from the Optimist Creed that best describes Olivia. “I identify with this statement because to me it means to be so confident with yourself no one can tear you down. I’ve had a lot of people say to me ‘I can’t’, but I always say ‘I can’, and I’ve worked through the adversity.” Welcome Olivia!

A big thank you to our Summer 2017 Optimist Club intern Ruth Lenzen! She is from Madison, Wisconsin, and is a senior with a Public Relations major, and Advertising minor. Ruth says she is optimistic because “Optimism is something that was instilled in me when I was young. I’ve always tried to remain positive with everything I do.” Ruth finds that “Whitewater is not too small but not too big. I feel I can know a lot of people, but not everyone.” Ruth’s goals for the year are to “familiarize herself with the professional world of Public Relations and to improve her writing and grammar skills.”

This statement from the Optimists Creed is her personal favorite: To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements of the future. “I think it’s important not to dwell on what has happened, and look ahead to what will happen,” she said. Thank you, Ruth!